It is well known to utilize various types of promotional devices to increase sales of packaged foods. One of the more common ways of promoting a product is to indicate on the exterior of the product container that a prize is included inside the container.
Another type of promotional device is the use of game pieces or other objects which may be attached to the side of the container. Brauner et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,886, for example, discloses inserting a separately formed tray into the side wall of a container. A promotional device is positioned in the tray which is then sealed by a label. Still another way of promoting a product is with a container having a light-activated sound chip. Howes, U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,567, for example, discloses a prize holding container assembly with an audible and/or visual prize related message delivery system contained within the container. In the Howes device, the message delivery system is placed within the contents of the container such that the message is not delivered until the consumer actually locates the message delivery system. Alternatively, Howes, U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,232, discloses mounting the message delivery system on the interior wall of the container. A drawback of this embodiment is that the container requires significant modification in order to mount the message delivery system. Similarly, Slagle et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,923,242, discloses a light-activated, sound-providing device which is secured to the interior of a container. Mounting of such a device is fairly complex.
However, retooling to create a new package configuration or even for modification of a conventional package can be costly. In this regard, it is desirable that the promotional device be one which requires a minimal amount of changes in the process of manufacturing the container.